Axle assembly



Feb. 2, 1954 A. F. SEELIG, JR

AXLE ASSEMBLY Filed April 8, 1952 INVENTUR. BY v Seeg,%. Off? 7mPatented Feb. 2, 1954 AXLE ASSEMBLY Albert F. Seelig, Jr., Granite City,111., assignor to American Steel Foundries, Chicago, 111., a corporationof New Jersey Application April 8, 1952, Serial No. 281,109

2 Claims. (01. 267'-58) 1 My invention relates to a trail type" axleassembly utilized to support a related vehicle body, and moreparticularly to a novel design of said assembly that eliminatesundesirable movement during the application of a braking torque. I

It is a general object of my invention to provide an axle assembly ofthe character described that eliminates unwanted relative movement ofsaid assembly during application of braking torque thereto.

A more specific object of my invention is to provide a novel movablebrake flange in combination with the wheel spindle of the axle assembly.

Another object of my invention is to provide a torque arm to transferbraking torque to the related vehicle body rather than dissipating saidtorque within the axle assembly.

Other objects of my invention will become apparent in the course of thefollowing description and the drawings, wherein:

Figure l is a plan view of an axle assembly embodying by invention, onlyone half of the assembly being shown, inasmuch as it is duplicated inthe other portion;

Figure 2 is a side elevational view of the assembly, and

Figure 3 is a free-body diagram utilized in explaining the function ofthe invention.

To achieve clarity, certain details have been omitted from various viewswhere it is believed said details are not important to an adequateshowing of the invention.

Unless otherwise noted, reference herein is made to one half of theassembly, it being understood that the structure mentioned is duplicatedon the other side of the assembly. I

Describing the invention in detail, an axle assembly generallydesignated I0, is utilized to support a related vehicle body by beingdisposed transversely of the body and secured to the underside thereof.Attachment of the assembly to the body is preferably accomplished bymeans of a bearing block, generally designated l2, which may be integralwith or secured'to theundersi'deof the vehicle body and adjacent eachside thereof by means of stud and nut connection utilizing the holes Mof the bearing block [2. The bearing block l2 may be, as hereinillustrated, of the demountable cap type having a cap l6 conventionallybolted at I! to the lower portion I l of the block l2. The lower portionII and the cap l6 define a transverse hole i8, which, with suitable.bearings (not shown) provides journal connection for an axle, generallydesignated 20.

The axle 20 comprises a main shaft 22, which is pivotally associatedwith the bearing block I2 by being extended through the hole l8 andbeing rotatable therein. Outboardly of the block l2 a throw or crank arm24 is formed to extend transversely of the shaft 22 and may be integraltherewith or demountably keyed thereto.

Another shaft or spindle 26 is formed directionally paralleling the mainshaft 22 and eccentrically carried thereby by means of rigid connectionwith the crank arm 24 at a point spaced transversely from the main shaft22. -It is to be noted that the spindle 26 may be formed integral withthe crank arm 24 or may be demo'untably keyed thereto. The spindle 26 isformed to rotatably mount by conventional cup, cone, and bearings, anassociated wheel (not shown). 7

Adjacent the inboard end of the spindle 26 a bearing surface 28 isprovided. A brake flange or stator 30, having a centrally disposed hole32 into which a bearing such as a bronze insert 23 may be press fitted,is in sleeved rotational engagement with the bearing surface 28 of thespindle 26.. An annular ledge or abutment 34 is provided on the spindle26 inboardly of the stator 30 to limit movement of the stator inwardlyand prevent interference with the crank arm 24 during the actionhereinafter described. A link or arm 35 is pivotally connected at oneend to the stator 30 as at 31 and is pivotally connected at its otherend as at 39 to a lug 4| extending from the bearing block 12.

It should be noted that the link 35 is bowed upwardly, that is, offsetupwardly intermediate the pivots 31 and 39. This link structure coupledwith the fact that the pivot 39 is located on the bearing block l2forwardly of the axis of rotation of the center shaft 22 enables thecrank 24 to rotate from the normal position illustrated through thevertical or bottomed position shown by the dotted lines in Figure 2.Thus the link arrangement accommodates full rotation of the crank 24 andallows for the full utilization of th torsional capacity of the spring.

In the structureabove described the spindle '26, which is also thepivotal axis of the associated wheel, can be said to trail the centershaft 22 and rotate about the longitudinal axis of said center shaft;Herein lies the reasonfor the designation trail type axle assemblyreferred to above. his to be noted that relative vertical movementbetween the related supporting wheel and the supported vehicle body iscontemplated. To cushion this relative vertical movement the preferredform of the invention utilizes a helical spring 35 disposed to surroundthe axle 22 and to have one end 38 fixedly secured to the bearing block[2, as by reception in a complementary hole thereof. The other end ofthe helical spring 36 is fixedly secured to the axle 20 by means of aclip 42..which,.is..welded to the..main.shaft 22,..as shownlin Figureil.Toginsure: proper cushioning action of the spring, a shoulder 44 isprovided integral with the bearing block 12 and on its inboard side, topartially support the inside surface of the adjacent spring convolution.A ledge-s46 is provided on the main shaft 22 to..afford like support forthe spring convolution-adiacent-l.the spring clip 42. It is to benotedthatthe preferred method of cushioning the relative movement of thesupported vehicle body is =not pen=se part of the invention and thatother resilient devices could reasonably be utilized in combination witha trail type axle assembly.

- The cushioning or resilient support -oiier'ed to the-carried vehiclebody is-due -to the bending "stress induced in-tm andfiexibly resistedby the spring '36 as the :spiridle 26 and the associated -whee1 -movevertically relative to the" vehicle "body and-consequently rotate themain she-W22 of the axle 20.

theart as practiced today; a-braking-inechanism to 'decelerate therelatedyehicle 1 such-as any conventional 'brakeshoe; (not shown) isattached to the brakestator sfl to-operatively'en- =gage= abrakingsurface such as a conventional =drum (not shown) married by the'associated wheel (not shown). -Also3in thepracticed-art, the-brakestator30 is -rigidly, that-is nonrota-tably, fixed to the spindle26.l-lence ina conven- --'tionaltrail type=a'xle= assembly, as the brakesare applied torque forces are set up in the axle assembly which areillustrated and explained by the modified' free-'body diagram of Figure3.

In Figure-3 the 'pointA designates the longituclinalaxis ofthe-centershaftZ-Z and the point *3 designates the longitudinal axis'ofthe-spindle'26. The line --2 4- denotes thecrankarm-and the 'line 30*denotes thebrake stator which is usually rigidlysecured to the spindle. *Thetorquepres- --ent in "the stator --during application f the 'l'irakes, infact, consistsofaninfinitenumber of sma-ll forces tangentially disposedwithin-the -stator30 about the axis of the-spindle, point-'B. *Insummation,- these forces and their -operative *directionmay' beindicated ;by theiorce'couple T and P, disposed equidistantfrom theplane C, C which in turn is perpendicular to-the-arm' 24. In-magnitude Tand P-aresequal,;in-moment about thepoint'A; TV is greater thanPidueitoithe -variationin the moment armif-ronr the moment center A. Theresult offlthis" variation ingLmo- --ment about 'the moment-centerjA,which is the longi-tudinal-axis-of the-main:shaft'-22, is that duringbrake'application the-spindleflfiand the associated "wheel are urged"upwardly and in some instances tend to leave the-"ground, and also' thesupported body is; urged to "move relatively downwardly; that-is tosquat. Inioperation, "during -a--given'--braking' application," thebraking pressure frequently 4 applied intermittently ---result;ing in--an extremely undesirable 'movement-andoscillation of-the associatedbody. operation of-my-novel'structure, the" stator 1 30,- as' notedabove, "is rotatable on the spindle 25,;hence'yvi1l' notztransmitbraking. torque to the axle assembly. The link 35 is operative to limitrotation of the stator 30 and transmits the torque forces within thestator to the associated vehicle by means of the connection to the bear-5 ing block l2. It is to be noted that the longi- -.tudinal.axes..of.theshaft.22..and...the. spindle 26 an'di the ;axes ofthe pivotalconnections 31 and 39 form the four corners of a parallelogram whichrigidly limits simple rotation of the stator "30 about the spindle 26for a given position of zthesspindle relative to the main shaft 22, andaccommodates compound movement of the stator. relative .to the spindleduring concurrent 1 movement ofLthespindle 26 about the main shaft 22.The mentioned parallelogram also limits s-rotatiomofi-thespindle 26 andthe main shaft 22 toanzangular movement of less than 180 degrees, theposition of the spindle shown in Figure 2 being the lower limit(if-movement. The result of this feature is thatthe-necessityiorg'positive ".stopl'lugsused in combinationwith'atrail*type axlehas been eliminated.

"'iThus-"the novel-structure herein'disclosed effectively' eliminatesundesirable" motion and "os- 25 cillation of a vehicle body supported byatrail Ltype axle assembly.

"Iclaim:

1min"anaxle-assemblyforsupporting a related-vehiclebody; a bearing blockconnected to the body, a main shaft journaledfor" rotation in theblockya throw' integrally formed with the shaft-outboardly of the blockextendingtransversely of the'shaft on one side thereof,a spindleintegrally formed onthe throw .at a pointuemote"from the shaft" anddirectionally parallel- ;ing-same, a brake: stator 'rotatablytmounted onthe spindleyalug on' the block spaced from" the main shaft ona-sidethereof-opposite the" throw, -ai-link havingtits'opposite endspivota'lly con 40 nected tothelug and theystator respectively, said-link being bowed upwardly intermediate "its ends tofiaccommodaterotationofithe .throw to a vertical position.

"25in a complete unitary .axle assembly, a 1.") bearing block, a mainshaftjournaled for rota- "tionther'eima throw integrally formed with theshaft. o utboardly of ,.the block and extending from one side'thereoiaspindle integrally formed on the throw at a point remote from the shaft,

5G'f3bl'3ik8 stator rotatably mounted on the spindle,

- a lug integrally formed on the block and extending outboardlytherefrom, said lug being spaced from themain shaft on a side thereof.opposite the *throw;a link pivotally connecting the stator and 651lugand: overlying the main shaft, and a spring sleeved over'the mainshaft inboardly of the block, said spring having its opposite ends.connectedito the shaft and to the bearing block.

,ALBERT F. SEELIG, JR,-

""References Cited in the file of thispatent UNITED STATES PATENTSNumber Name Date as :-2;426..513 Linn "Aug. 26,1947 P23542361 -ProbstFeb. 20,1951 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country 3 Date -.420-,433 GreatBritain Dec. 3, 1934 $447,076 Great Britain May 12,1936

